


The Wheelers Trip

by willthewise



Category: Byler - Fandom, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Byeler - Freeform, Multi, Stranger Things 2, byler, stranger things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-11 22:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12944907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willthewise/pseuds/willthewise
Summary: The Wheeler family goes on a family trip during summer & this time, Nancy - who's in college, it's not coming so they take Will to join them to the trip to Miami.





	1. Chapter 1

**Tuesday, July 17, 06:34 am.**

It was a hot summer day and Will was finishing packing for the trip with the Wheelers, they would spend a few days in Florida and Will was very anxious because he had never seen the sea and there was something about it that fascinated Will. The little boy had taken and put everything in his bag a few times, he was scared to forget something but so far everything was fine: t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, briefs, swimwear, sunscreen, toothbrush, pajamas and obvious, papers and his pencil case.

Will closed the suitcase and headed down the hall, it was still too early, and he did not want to make a noise and wake up El - who was also invited but decided that he would stay in town to keep Max company. The boy went downstairs with his suitcase and saw Hopper preparing pancakes - the best pancakes in town, according to him.

"Good morning!" Will said as he sat down at the table.

"Hey," Jim took the plate of pancakes and laid it on the table. "good morning big time! Are you excited?"

"Yes!" Will said with a bright in his eyes.

"Just do not fall in love with any mermaid!" Hopper said and ruffled Will's hair, causing the boy to laugh.

Joyce walked into the backdoor, kissed Will's head, and sat down at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

"I can’t believe my boy is growing up so fast..." Joyce said.

"Mom..." The boy - with a mad face - said.

"Okay, okay... I got it!"

Jim joined them and had breakfast together. As soon as Will finished, he opened his suitcase and asked his mother to help him check if he was forgetting anything. Will had not even opened the suitcase, and Joyce said:

"Towel!" Joyce got up and actually, Will was forgetting one of the most important things, after all, he was going to the beach. Joyce returned with three towels in her hand.

"Three?" Will endured.

"Yes, three," Joyce said as she packed the towels inside the suitcase. "one for bath and two for the beach, wet towel smells like wet dog."

"Believe me," Jim - who was standing at the door of the room, drinking his coffee, said. "You don't want to smell wet dog."

"Hell no!" Will said.

"Language," Joyce said.

"As you said, I'm growing up..." Will said making Jim laugh.

* * *

  

_READ CHAPTER ONE TO GET THE FULL STORY, HOPE YOU HAVE FUN, ENJOY :)_


	2. “stop byers, you’re making me blush!”

**Tuesday, July 17, 06:34 am.**

It was a hot summer day and Will was finishing packing for the trip with the Wheelers, they would spend a few days in Florida and Will was very anxious because he had never seen the sea and there was something about it that fascinated Will. The little boy had taken and put everything in his bag a few times, he was scared to forget something but so far everything was fine: t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, briefs, swimwear, sunscreen, toothbrush, pajamas and obvious, papers and his pencil case.

Will closed the suitcase and headed down the hall, it was still too early, and he did not want to make a noise and wake up El - who was also invited but decided that he would stay in town to keep Max company. The boy went downstairs with his suitcase and saw Hopper preparing pancakes - the best pancakes in town, according to him.

"Good morning!" Will said as he sat down at the table.

"Hey," Jim took the plate of pancakes and laid it on the table. "good morning big time! Are you excited?"

"Yes!" Will said with a bright in his eyes.

"Just do not fall in love with any mermaid!" Hopper said and ruffled Will's hair, causing the boy to laugh.

Joyce walked into the backdoor, kissed Will's head, and sat down at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

"I can’t believe my boy is growing up so fast..." Joyce said.

"Mom..." The boy - with a mad face - said.

"Okay, okay... I got it!"

Jim joined them and had breakfast together. As soon as Will finished, he opened his suitcase and asked his mother to help him check if he was forgetting anything. Will had not even opened the suitcase, and Joyce said:

"Towel!" Joyce got up and actually, Will was forgetting one of the most important things, after all, he was going to the beach. Joyce returned with three towels in her hand.

"Three?" Will endured.

"Yes, three," Joyce said as she packed the towels inside the suitcase. "one for bath and two for the beach, wet towel smells like wet dog."

"Believe me," Jim - who was standing at the door of the room, drinking his coffee, said. "You don't want to smell wet dog."

"Hell no!" Will said.

"Language," Joyce said.

"As you said, I'm growing up..." Will said making Jim laugh.

After a few minutes, they heard a horn, it was the Wheelers, the three of them got up and went toward the front door. The car was there, in front of the house, Mike had sunglasses and two strips of sunscreen on his cheeks, he got out of the car, waiting for his friend to enter. Will kissed his mother and hugged Hopper, grabbed his bag and headed for the car but stopped when he heard a voice calling his name.

"Will," it was Eleven, she ran down the stairs. "Wait!" Will turned and saw his sister walking quickly. Eleven hugged Will. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too!" Will said.

He released Will and looked at Mike, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Jane, you should go with us next year, sweetie!" Mrs. Wheeler said.

"Yea, you totally should!" Mike said awkwardly.

"Yea... who knows?" She said with an embarrassed smile. "Take care and have fun!" Eleven gave Will another hug and joined Jim and Joyce who were hugging each other at the entrance of the house.

Will waved his hand and headed for the car, Ted got out of the car and helped Will pack his suitcase.

"You know we still have 16 hours to get there, right?" Will said mocking Mike as he got into the car.

"Jealous much?" Mike laughed.

The engine started, and they left, waving at Jim, Joyce, and El.

———

Mike was really prepared for a 16-hour trip, snacks, comics, some action figures, anything that could make time go faster. The first few hours were going fast, but after 4 and a half hours Will and Mike were bored, they did everything they could possibly do, so Mike decided to take a nap, put the pillow in the middle of the bench and lay down, all crooked. Will tried to sleep but he couldn't, he didn't know if it was the car movement or if it was the excitement of seeing the sea for the first time. Will pulled a notebook out of his backpack and started sketching a drawing with his crayons. Mrs. Wheeler was also sleeping, by that, the only people awake in the car was Will and Mike's father. Mr. Wheeler glanced at the backseat, confused and curious at what Will was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Just drawing ..." Will replied without taking his eyes off the sketch.

"Oh..." Ted said. "Mike told me you're a great drawer."

"I wish!" Will said with a sky laugh.

"Can I see it?" Ted said.

"Oh, uh," Will said. "sure..." Will handed the notebook to Ted who acrobatically picked it up.

"Let me see..." Ted raised his eyebrows. "wow, you are a good drawer!"

"Oh, thanks, Mr. Wheeler!" Will said as he took the notebook back.

"Call me Ted, Will. Just Ted!" Ted said.

"Okay, Ted..." Will said with a laugh.

"Much better."

It was strange for Will to see Mike's father talking and being nice to him... Will knew that since his disappearance, everyone had seen him as a weirdo, as if he had done something wrong and ran away from home and forged his own death but Will wasn't complaining, it was great that Ted was treating him that way.

Will closed his notebook, put his pencils in the black case - which he had since he was a child, leaned back against the headrest of the car and closed his eyes.

———

The time went slower and slower, Will and Mike were still asleep while Ted and Karen were talking, the driver yawned for a minute, he was getting sleepy, it was almost 6 o'clock, the sun was almost on and Ted, without a choice, opened the car window and put his head out, letting the strong wind hit his head in a successful attempt to make sleep pass. Karen looked back and saw Mike sleeping with his head in the middle of the bench with one of his arms on Will's lap and the other boy with his arms folded with his head hanging over Mike.

"These two are going to be up all night, they've been asleep for eight hours!"

"Wake them up then!" Ted said. "Wait, I have a better idea!" Karen looked at her suspicious husband. "On three, you scream..." Ted whispered.

"Ted, what?" Karen asked, confused.

"Just scream..." Karen shook her head. Ted put his hand on the horn and counted to three with his fingers. "OH MY GOD!"

"JESUS!" Karen said.

Will and Mike were scared by the screams and they jumped up, Will's first reaction was to find Mike's hand and hold it, both still static looked at Ted and Karen who were laughing, Karen turned back and Ted looking the rearview mirror. Mike looked at his hand - twined with Will's, and as if in a fright the two of them let go.

"Mom, dad, what the heck?" Mike said, angry.

"Rise and shine!" Ted said laughing still looking at his son in the rearview mirror.

Will's heart still pounded but he took a deep breath and started to laugh, after all, it was a good catch.

———

A few more hours had passed and finally, they had just arrived in Miami, the final destination of the Wheeler's trip. It was already 11 o'clock at night, the lights and movement of the city were very different from what Will was used to in Hawkins, huge buildings, lights everywhere Will looked, his eyes glittered like never before. The Wheelers drove for a few more minutes until they arrived the hotel where they were staying for the next few days. Ted turned the car off and a driver came to open the door for them, Will was shocked, he knew the Wheelers had money but seeing a person opening the car door for them was a totally unreal.

Will and Mike followed Ted and Karen through the hotel lobby, Will stopped to admire every little part of the hotel, every column, light, pictures on the wall while Mike waited for his friend with his hands in his pocket.

"Mom," Mike said making Karen turn back. "I'll show Will the pool!"

"Wait a minute, get the keys to your room!" Karen said taking a card - which served as the key to the boys' room, Will put the key in his pocket and left thru the lobby of the hotel.

"Are we going to share a room?" Will asked.

"Yes, I always share with Nancy!"

"Where's Holly?"

"Grandma's!"

"Oh," Will stopped. "aren't we going  to help your parents pack their bags?"

"Will..." Mike chuckled at his friend's innocence. "the hotel employees do this!"

"Oh, my bad!" Will laughed and continued to follow Mike to the poolside.

"God bless Miami!" Mike said as he took his shoes and socks off, sat on the floor and put his feet in the pool. "You should try it bud."

"I hate you when you call me bud!" Will said as he pulled off his sneakers - joining Mike, with his feet in the pool. "It makes me feel so much smaller than you!"

"But baby, you are ..." Mike said as Will rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you, Michael!" Will said, laughing.

"Hey, language, respect me, I'm older than you!"

"Oh," Will said. "I'm sorry, I forgot you have a lot of hair on your leg, what a man..." They both laughed.

Mike put his hand in the water and threw a little at Will, and within seconds the two were making a water war on the edge of the pool.

"BOYS!" Karen screamed. "The pool is closed... come on, let's go up!"  The boys followed Ted and Karen into the hotel.

They looked at each other, grabbed their sneakers and climbed along with Mike's parents, leaving all the hallway wet. As soon as they arrived on the 11th floor, Mike and Will were about to run into the room.

"Coffee is served at 8, be there!" Karen said and the boys' bedroom door was closed. "No good night? I hate this teenager phase Mike is going thru..." Ted laughed and entered with his woman in the room.

"Wow!" Will said as he entered the room. Mike threw himself on the bed with the clothes on.

Will headed for the balcony door, opened the curtains, his chin almost touching the ground as he saw the sea.

"Pretty sick, huh?" Mike said as he joined his friend on the balcony of the room.

"I have no words..." Will said looking at Mike. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"Stop Byers, you're making me blush!" Mike said patting Will's arm.

"Fucker..." Will said with a laugh.

Mike went back to the bedroom, took off the clothes he was wearing and put on his pajamas, did not care that Will was in the room, after all the little boy was still looking at the sea, delighted. Mike lay down on the bed with a comic book in hand and began to leaf through. 30 minutes passed and Will was still on the balcony, watching the moonlight. Mike yawned and went to his friend.

"Can you believe in this sky? Look at the moon, look how many stars, even with so many lights in the city the stars still manage to shine and not be overshadowed ... Incredible ... "Mike stopped for a few seconds to look at the stars and indeed, they shone in a way inexplicably intense.

 

"These stars are nothing compared to the ones I've seen in your eyes."

Heart racing. That's the only word that defined that moment for the two boys. Will blushed and looked at his hand that was on the balcony railing with a shy smile on his face. Mike brought his hand closer to Will's, the boys' little pinkies leaning against each other, and Will felt a chill run all through his body. Mike put his finger on Will's and embraced the small boy finger. The two of them stood for a few seconds looking at the sea, in silence...

"Mike!" Ted entered the room without knocking, the boys released their fingers as soon as Will's father entered the room. "Did you saw my glasses?"

The two boys turned, still white as the sand of the beach - which was not far away.

"I think it's in my backpack!" Mike went to his backpack and grabbed the sunglasses he used earlier. "Here!"

"Thanks, good night!" Ted said and closed the room's door.

Mike looked at Will, who was still red and could barely look into his friend's eyes. Will went to his suitcase, picked up his pajamas and went into the bathroom, after a few minutes he came out wearing his blue pajamas, which looked like the one that Mike was wearing.

"Don't you get tired of trying to be me, Byers?" Mike said as he saw his friend's pajamas. "You want me so bad, is that right?" Will went blank when he heard what Mike had just said. "I mean, you want me to be so bad..." Will breathed in relief.

"Of course, who would not want to be like Michael Wheeler?" Will said, lying down.

"Many want it," Mike turned to look at Will, who was on the other bed. "but no one can!"

"Sure..." Will said with an ironic laugh. "good night Mike!"

"Good night buddy!" Mike loved to annoy Will.

"You know I hate when you call me bud!"

"Alright, alright," Mike said. "good night baby!" Mike said with a smile and managed to tear out a timid laugh from Will's lips who was putting his best annoyed face.


	3. "do you want to hold my hand?"

**Thursday, July 18, 06:13 am.**

 

A crack of light streamed through the room and hit Will's face, which woke with the glow of the rising sun on his face. The boy put his hand in front of his eyes, stretched, sat down on the bed and looked at Mike - in the next bed, still asleep. Will put his feet off the bed, slipped on his slippers and headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face and returned to the room, he thought of lying down again to wait for his friend to wake up for breakfast but looked at the watch at the bedside table and saw that it was still six o'clock in the morning, and the sun was not yet fully shining. The beam of light - that had awakened him - was getting stronger - signaling that the sun was about to rise. Will then remembered that Mike had told him that seeing the sunrise was one of the favorite things he did when he was traveling with his parents. Will opened the curtain on the balcony, opened the door, and tried to close the curtain as much as possible so the light did not wake Mike - who was sleeping like an angel.

"Wow ..." Will said as he entered the balcony. Mike was right, the way the sun was positioned, the number of clouds in front of him, making the sky look like a painting.

Will sat down on one of the benches deposited there. That was all Will needed at that moment, to watch the sunrise while the icy breeze of the morning hitting his face - soothing the hot Miami weather, without having to think about anything, just enjoy the moment and relax. Will then leaned his head against the back of the seat and his eyes grew heavier and in a few seconds, the boy fell asleep.

———

"Mike, Will, time to wake up!" Karen said knocking on the door two times.

Mike woke up startled and jumped of the bed. He rose as he yawned, walked to the door and opened it. Karen and Ted were waiting for the boys to grab breakfast.

"I need to change before..." Mike said.

"Ok... see you down there!" Karen said. "Where's Will?" Mike looked back and saw that his friend was not in bed.

"He must be in the bathroom!" Mike said, afraid.

"Um..." Karen muttered. "See you guys there, don't take too long."

"K!" Mike replied.

As soon as the boy closed the bedroom door he went straight to the bathroom and without knocking he opened the door, Mike felt an ice take over his stomach, Will wasn't there. The boy put his hand to his black hair in despair, he could only think of the worst... Will had disappeared again and this time it was not in Hawkins - where he and his friends knew every part of the small town like the palm of their hands. Mike felt dizzy and sat on the bed, put his hand over his face, he didn't know what to do, Mike had not been this afraid for a long time. Then he got up and tried to find a note, some clue to Will's whereabouts. The bed was the same as it was the night before, Will's suitcase too, there was nothing in the bathroom, he checked in the bedroom closet - and without success, he found only hangers. There was only one place left, the balcony. Mike ran, and when he opened the curtain, he saw Will, curled up in his chair. Mike felt a great relief to see the little boy sleeping on the balcony.

"WILL!" Mike said as he opened the door and hugged his friend who woke up startled.

"What?" Will said in a sleepy voice.

"Thank God I found you!" Mike said.

"But I didn't leave!" Will said without understanding.

"I was so scared!"

"Scared? Of what? "

"Of losing you again..." Mike said still holding Will. "I mean, of you getting lost again!"

"No..." Will chuckled. "You're not going to lose me that easy Wheeler, not before I spank you in ping-pong!" Will was referring to the ping-pong table in the hotel's games room.

"You wish Byers!" Mike said, getting up and heading to the bathroom.

Will got up still confused, opened his suitcase, chose his outfit - a white T-shirt, flowery shorts and his black slippers. He changed there, after all, Mike was in the bathroom. Will sat on the bed, picked up the comic that Mike had left on the bedside table and read some pages while waiting for his friend.

"Let's go?" Mike said as he left the bathroom.

"Yes!"

Will got up and followed Mike down the hall, into the elevator, and downstairs looking for Karen and Ted who were already seated at a table.

"I'd like to take this moment to thank God..." Mike said as he reached the buffet. Will looked at his friend with a confused look. "What? Look at that giant pile of bacon!" Will laughed as he heard his friend talking.

Will picked up a glass of coffee and poured some milk without sugar. He picked up two pancakes, butter, and a little syrup. A piece of papaya and a yogurt. Meanwhile, Mike was trying to get his stack of five pancakes not to fall, all the holes in his waffle filled with syrup, a lot of crispy bacon, and orange juice - properly sweet, just the way he liked it. Will stood there waiting for his friend to go to the table.

"Michael... Jesus..." Karen said as she saw Mike's plate.

"What?" Mike replied. "I'm growing up, I need to feed well!"

"Sure..." Will said with a laugh.

"You should be more like Will, Mike!" Mike's mother told the boy, whose fingers were already full of syrup. "Look at this, coffee, yogurt, papaya, and pancakes... great job Will!"

"Hey," Mike said. "I got pancakes too!"

"But mine won't give me diabetes!" Will said to Mike, making Ted laugh.

Mike gave his best eye-roll - like he always did. Ted was reading the newspaper and Karen was talking to the boys about the plans for the day, they would go to the beach at 9:00 am and they would come back to the hotel at lunchtime and stay with the afternoon free to take a stroll around Miami. As soon as they finished, Ted went to the service desk in the hotel lobby to get the sunshade and some beach chairs. Mrs. Wheeler picked up her bag that she would take to the beach - with sunscreen, some snacks, and everything else they would need. The four of them headed for the entrance of the hotel, crossed the street and were already on the beach. Will could hear the sound of the sea. Ted took the sunshade and tucked it into the sand, then opened it and sat down in one of the chairs. Karen put on her sunglasses and a hat, took off the clothing she was wearing, and some people even stopped to see her body, Karen had 3 children but it didn't reflect on her body, as Ted said, she was "looking better than a lot of younger women".

Will took off his t-shirt and slippers and felt his foot burn in the warm sand. Mike, also took off his T-shirt, grabbed the sunscreen from his mother's purse, poured it into his hand and began to pass on his belly, arms and handed to Will, who also applied the sunscreen on his arms, belly, and legs.

"Do you want me to get on your back?" Will told Mike - who was struggling to get sunscreen on his back.

"Yes, please!"

Will opened the sunscreen and put some of the liquid in his hands, rubbed it and placed his hands on Mike's back. Despite the warm weather, Mike could feel the tip of Will's cold fingers running over his shoulders, Will was passing sunscreen all over Mike's back, which was getting chills at the feel of his friend's hands - almost massaging his back. Will's finger sent shivers down Mike's back.

"Wow, you have goosebumps all over your back," Will said. "done!"

"Uh, y-yea," Mike said. "Your hand is cold! Thanks!"

Will put his fingertips on his face - to apply sunscreen to his face - but he didn't feel his cold fingers like Mike said.

Mike passed sunscreen all over his face, leaving him whiter than usual and stood up, staring at the beach that was already full of people.

"Let's go for a swim!" Mike said.

Mike and Will continued down the beach until they felt their feet touch the cold water, to Will's surprise, the water was colder than he'd expected. The boys went further forward and the water that was pounding at the ankle now was struck the knee.

"Mike, wait!" Will said making Mike stop and look at Will who was standing still.

"What?" Mike said.

"I-I..."

"Is everything ok?" He asked.

"I don't know, what if I drown?" Will said making Mike smile.

"You won't! I'm here with you!" Mike looked at his parents - they were still in the sand, Karen lying in the chair with the hat on her face and Ted lying with his belly on the sand. "Want to hold my hand?" Mike held out his hand to his friend. Will nodded and took Mike's hand. "Let's take small steps until you feel safe." Will and Mike walked further and the water was already hitting on their waist. "See? Nothing bad will happen!"

"You can let go of my hand already," Will let go of Mike's hand. "I think I can!" Will smiled. "Thanks, but if I need it, I'll grab you." Mile laughed at his friend. "I mean, I'll grab your hand..." Will's whiteness turned to redness.

"Sure..." Mike laughed.

Will was still unsteady, with his arms together, not talking much and Mike throwing water on him - in an attempt to make the boy relax.

"Dude, you need to relax ..." Mike said. "Get loose, feel the rhythm of the water!"

"Ok... I-I'll try!" Will said, letting the body more relaxed.

Will was relaxing more and more, and after much insistence, Mike got his friend to float in the water.

"Relax, I'm here..." Mike put his hand on Will's back. "Now you start lying down while you lift your feet..." Will obeyed and leaned back in Mike's arms, which was now placing his other hand on the back of Will's thighs.

"That's pretty cool actually." Will said, lying in Mike's arms.

"See? I told you!"

After much trying, Will managed to float in the water - for a few seconds, but the boy was too light to float.

Finally, Will wasn't quiet, playing with Mike, risking a few small dives, getting under the water, he even managed to find some small shells. A few hours passed and Will and Mike were getting hungry, so they decided to go to Karen, who had brought snacks.

"Mom," Mike said. "we are hungry!"

"I'm glad you said that." Karen opened the thermos and pulled out two sandwiches wrapped in plastic and handed them to the boys.

"What is this?" Mike said as he picked up one of the sandwiches.

"Chicken, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise." Will bit into his lunch, hungry.

"Mom... you know I do not like tomatoes!"

"Then ask your father for money! Buy some soda!"

"Dad..." Ted, still in his T-shirt over his head, reached into his pocket and gave Mike the money. "Thanks..."

Mike and Will - who still savored their sandwich - walked down the beach to the nearest kiosk. They went in and went straight to the counter.

"Can I have two cokes please?" The clerk - who was shirtless - went to the fridge and took out two cans of Coke and handed them to Mike who handed over some of the money. "Thanks. Also, can I have some french fries, please?"

"Sure thing..." the clerk said. "if you want, you can sit at one of the tables and we'll take your order when it's ready!"

"Great!" Mike said and walked over to one of the tables and sat down with Will.

The boys started to talk about Lucas, Max, El and Dustin and what they were probably doing.

"Dustin was never the same after Ramona..." Will said with a laugh, Mike did not seem to be paying much attention, looking over Will's shoulder. "what are you looking at?"

"Don't look now but at that table, right behind, don't look now!" Mike said trying to talk without moving his mouth to Will who was almost turning back, curious. "They're whispering and looking over here..."

"Wow... I can believe you're flirting with me here," Will said.

"I'm not flirting, I'm just confused!"

"Is there something in my hair?" Will said, shaking his hand at his hair.

"Don't think so..." Mike said still looking at the back table. "Oh no..." Mike looked down, looking away.

"What?" Will's eyes widened.

"They're walking..." Will threatened to turn around but he almost stumbled into one of the girls.

"Hi," A long-haired blonde girl stopped in front of Will and Mike's table while the other two who were at the table with her went straight and watched her friend talk to the boys from afar. "I'm Alisson, and I couldn't help noticing that you're in the same hotel as us, and since we spend most of our time without company, we wanted to say that if you want to do something, call us!"

"I-I'd... I," Mike stammered.

"Sure! That'd be great, thanks!" Will said, Mike was impressed with his courage, he had never seen Will be so "sociable".

The girl smiled, put a napkin on the table, and left. Will took the napkin and it read: "Alisson, Zoe, and Andrea, room 420".

Mike and Will looked at the girl until she arrived to her friends, the three whispered something and waved to the boys - who waved back - and left.

"What the fuck just happened?" Mike said as he turned to Will.

"They're just trying to make some friends." Will said.

"I don't think so..." Mike replied.

Soon, the french fries ordered by Mike arrived, and the two devoured the food quickly, paid and returned to the beach.

"Have you eaten?" Karen looked at the boys over the magazine she was reading.

"Yes, I feel like I've eaten the whole cow!" Mike said and Will nodded. "Mom, would you mind if we get back to the hotel? I'm really tired..." Karen lifted the sunglasses she was wearing.

"Um... sure." Will's mother looked at him with a suspicious face. "The key is in the bag."

Will took the key from the room in his mother's purse and they both striding back to the hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg, i can't believe that i got some many hits since yesterday! i really hope you guys are enjoying all the fics, please leave a comment on what you liked the most & on what i should get better. ideas are always welcome, please leave comment or send me an ask on my tumblr: http://thewisewillbyers.tumblr.com/
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed this chapter & are having a nice day, ly<3


	4. "i felt it... everywhere."

**Thursday, July 18, 01:13 pm.**

 

Will and Mike returned to the hotel with their t-shirts in their hands, still covered in sand, they climbed the elevator to the 16th floor, the floor of their room. The two rushed in and Will headed straight for the bathroom.

"I'll take a shower first!" Will said.

"Ok... I'll wait here!" Mike said sitting down on the floor - not to get the bed all dirty.

Will took off all his clothes and went into the shower, the boy startled to see the water running down his legs, a dark water from the sand that covered almost his entire back. The boy lathered and scrubbed as hard as he could to get all the sand off his body. To his surprise, his hair was also full of sand, the water wasn't hot but still really warm by the fact that the sea water was cooler than his body, that was still cold. After he had finished, Will reached into the shower stall wall to get his towel and realized that he had forgotten to get his towel.

"MIKE!" Will shouted. "MIKE!"

"What?" Mike yelled back.

"Can you grab my towel, please?" Will asked. Mike, in the bedroom, got up off the floor and took one of the three towels his mother had put in her suitcase. Mike knocked on the door. "Come in, but close your eyes, I don't want you to see me naked." Will laughed as he saw his friend put his hand in his eyes, took the towel from Mike's hand, and curled up. "K, thank you!" Mike took his hand from his eyes.

"You owe me one!" Mike said.

Will sat on the bed, still not wearing a T-shirt.

"What if..." Will was rummaging through his briefcase in search of underwear. "nah..." The boy spoke to himself.

\---

A few hours went by and the boys - who had dozed off - decided to go after the girls. Will took the cologne he had brought and sprayed on both sides of his neck.

"Cologne? Really?" Mike said with a laugh.

"I just want to make a good impression..." Will said returning the cologne to the bedside table.

"Sure..." Mike laughed and the two of them left the room, heading for the elevator.

"4th floor, right?" Mike said and Will nodded.

"What if they are pulling a prank and the room is empty?"

"They wouldn't do that..." Mike replied.

"How do you know?"

"I just feel it..."

The boys pushed the elevator button and headed for the girls' floor.

Stopping the elevator on the selected floor, Mike stepped forward and bumped into Alisson, who had come in the elevator. Mike excused himself before he even looked at the girl, Will was red, his eyes almost wide.

"Oh, look who it is..."

"Oh, hey!" Mike, shy, he said.

"I do not even know your names." Alisson said.

"I'm Will and he's Mike!" Will said.

"Nice seeing you guys again, as you know, I'm Alisson, but call me Ali!" The girl said. "Where are you going?"

"Uh..." Mike started.

"To the hall," Will interrupted his friend. "we were going for a walk around the hotel."

"Um..." The girl looked at the elevator buttons. "got it."

"Yea..." Mike looked down, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"Oh, I completely forgot my wallet! Mike, let's go back... "

"Wha-..." Mike looked at his confused friend. "Oh, yea, of course!"

The elevator arrived on the ground floor, which Alisson had tightened.

"Well," the blond-haired girl looked at the boys. "we'll see the sunset on the rooftop if you'd like to join us..." She said.

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Mike said.

"You know what's funny?" Alisson said. "That you were going downstairs but the only button pressed was the fourth floor..." Alisson laughed.

"Uh -..." Mike said.

"I-I mean ..."

"See you guys later?" Alisson said coming out of the elevator.

"Yea, we will be there!" Mike replied as Will remained static. The elevator door closed. "What the fuck?" Mike hissed at Will.

"I don't know..." Will said.

The two returned to the bedroom, almost running.

"Dude, I can not believe she caught us!"

"Yea, she caught us bad..." Will said.

"We're so dumb, damn." Mike said.

The boys entered the room and Mike went straight to bed, lying with his belly up. Will saw a piece of paper - underneath the television in the room - and read aloud, saying "I've been here but I haven't found you, come into my room when you get back. Dad. "

"Let's go talk to him!" Will said worriedly. "We're screwed, he found out..."

"Found out what Will?" Mike said as he got up.

"I do not know, but he discovered something..."

"Will, chill!" Will handed the paper to his friend. "Let's go there!"

The two boys went to their parents' bedroom - which was right next to theirs and knocked on the door. As soon as Ted opened the door, he pulled Mike and Will inside.

"Shhh," Ted said. "shut up, I told your mother to get the umbrella and the chairs at the reception, listen, our anniversary is tomorrow, I prepared a special night for me and your mother," Ted reached into his pocket and took out forty dollars and handed it to Mike. "I don't want anything to get in our way today, order pizza, something like that, I don't want to hear from you until lunch, tomorrow."

"And what are we say to Mom?" Mike said.

"Don't worry, I got everything covered," Ted said. "now go, have fun!" He concluded, pushing the boys out of the room.

The boys left the room and Mike looked at Will and gave him a huge smirk, making Will laugh. The two of them returned to the room and the two of them stayed there, lying in bed, talking.

\---

Two hours had passed, it was already 06:43pm, the sun was already getting low, Will changed his clothes, put on jeans - despite the heat - a black sneaker and a red T-shirt. Mike put on a pair of black pants with the bar folded up twice, a white t-shirt and stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes trying to fix his hair, picked up the perfume and splashed several times on his body. Will looked at his friend and laughed, the two were ready to meet the girls.

"Mike..."

"What?"

"What if they try to kiss us?" Will sat on Mike's bed.

"Then we kiss them..." Mike looked at Will through the mirror, where he arranged his hair.

"Mike..." Will said. "I'm being serious..." Mike sat down next to his friend. "You know, I never kissed a girl before, I don't... I don't know what to do, neither how to do..." Will looked down.

"It's easy..." Mike said. "you'll know if she wants to kiss you."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning that if she wants to kiss you, she'll smile at you and look down, she'll laugh at anything you say, she'll look at your lips... that sort of thing ..."

"Okay, but what do I do if it happens?"

"Okay..." Mike faced his friend. "If she gives those signals you can put her hair behind her ear," Mike put his hand into Will's hair and tucked a lock of hair behind the ear of his friend who was looking startled. "You put your finger on her cheeks and brush it lightly with your thumb. Then you lean forward..." Mike lowered his tone and approached Will's face, feeling his breath. "And kiss!" Mike said in a normal voice and pulled away causing Will to open his eyes, startled.

Mike took a pack of chewing gum from his backpack and slipped it into his pocket. Will folded his arms and stared at his friend, laughing.

They left the room and headed for the elevator. They pressed the button for the 23rd floor and as soon as they arrived they came face to face with a two-ladder.

"I have a feeling that we shouldn't be here..." Will said.

"Fuck it!" Mike said and started up the stairs.

Will followed his friend and as soon as they reached the top they saw a door with a piece of wood on the floor - not letting the door close -, and a sign at the door said: "STAFF ONLY". Mike and Will exchanged glances, Mike pushed the door and entered with his friend, it was the last floor of the building, as soon as they entered, they faced the sun, the orange sky, full of pinkish clouds, that it was able to take sighs from anyone.

"Wow..." Mike approached the concrete wall.

"This is beautiful!"

"Hey, you came!" Alisson said, the two boys turned back and saw the blonde girl, she was on top of what appeared to be a room. "Come up here!"

Mike looked at Will and headed for the iron staircase leading to the place where Alisson was. Mike came up and as soon as he got up there, Alisson gave him a hug, leaving him in surprise.

"I'm glad you came!" Alisson released Mike and gave Will a hug. "Come here, I want to introduce you guys!" Will and Mike approached two other girls. "This is Andrea!" The dark haired girl with green eyes waved to Mike and Will, who returned. "And this is Zoe!" Zoe was blonde as Alisson, her brown eyes turned almost green in the sunlight.

Alisson bent down and opened a cooler, picked up a can and handed it to Mike.

"Beer?" Alisson said. Mike picked up the can while Will could not take his eyes off the beer can that was in Mike's hand.

"Sure!" Mike opened the can and took a sip, Will watched his friend as he picked up the other can from Ali's hand. The boy opened the can and took a sip, Will loathed that bitter taste and tried to control the most grimace he had made due to the bitter taste of beer.

"Are you from here?" Mike asked Alisson.

"No... Andrea and I are from Georgia!" Alisson said as she sat on the floor. "Zoe is living in New York! She's my cousin!" Mike and Will sat on the floor with the girls. "What about you two?"

"No, we're from Hawkins, Indiana!"

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"Not really!" Will said as he poured a few more sips into his drink, it was not as bad as the first sip.

"Why's that?" Andrea asked.

"I don't know, it's a small city, the same places, the same people, it gets boring, you know?" Will said looking at the green-eyed girl.

"Yea, I can imagine..."

"Are you guys alone here?"

"No, my parents are here!" Mike replied. "Are you?"

"Yea, we do this summer trip every year..." Will was impressed, they must have a lot of money to be able to travel every year. "Last year we went to Los Angeles!"

"That's sick!" Mike said and took the last sip of his beer.

"You finished?" Will said to Mike, who nodded.

"Here," Alisson took another beer from the cooler and tossed it to Mike. "Have another one!"

"Thank you, Alisson!" Mike said.

"Call me Ali!"

"Okay, Ali!"

Will was still with the first can in his hand as they talked, the girls seemed very interested in the boys' lives and they were not left behind either.

"Are you guys dating anyone?" Will, who was carrying the beer in his mouth, stopped and looked at Mike.

"No, not anymore..." Mike said and looked down.

"Oh, sorry I guess..." Zoe said.

"It's okay, we're still friends." Mike said as he took a sip.

"What about you William?" Andrea asked.

"Me? No... and you can call me Will if you want to!" Will said, making the girl smile.

"What about you girls?" Mike asked.

"I do..." Zoe said.

"I don't." Andrea said.

"I used to, but he's an asshole, so I don't really care anymore!" Ali said. "Let's make a toast," Ali said raising his beer. "for being single!"

Will, Mike and Andrea laughed as they lifted their cans and beat them together. The time had passed and the sky was getting darker and it was already possible to see a few stars shining in the dark blue sky. Will got up, took the second beer from the cooler, and sat next to Andrea, leaning against the concrete wall that lay there.

"You have a tattoo?" Mike told Ali as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yea." The girl brushed her hair back and walked over to Mike to show off the tattoo.

"Wanderlust?" Mike said. "What does it mean?"

"It's like," Zoe turned back, facing Mike. "when someone has a strong desire to travel, do you know?" Ali said.

"Oh... that's sick!"

"Yea, I really like it too, we all have one, I have on my back, Zoe has on the back of her neck and Andrea has on her wrist... oh, I think she's kinda busy right now!"

As soon as Mike turned, he saw Andrea and Will talking, they seemed to be getting along, Andrea was smiling a lot, so did Will. Mike felt a huge tightness in his heart and a warmth in his head.

"Yea..." Mike said and turned the beer into his mouth, took the beer - that was still in the middle, like it was a shot, and went straight to the cooler to get another beer. "For how long are you guys having this summer trip thing?" Mike asked.

"Since we're 12, we made 3 trips so far..." Ali said. "Five different states..."

"By that, I suppose that you're 15, maybe 16?"

"Yes... I'll be turning 16 next march! What about you? "

"Cool! I'm 16 and Will just turned 16. "

"Really? You look older!" Ali said.

"Oh, do I?" Mike said and the girl nodded. "Thanks, I guess..."

"It was not a compliment ..." Ali said.

"Oh!" Will looked surprised.

"I'm just playing," Ali laughed and patted Mike on the shoulder. "but since you want a compliment, you're really cute..." Mike blushed. "too bad you're in love with Will!" Mike's eyes widened and he looked at the girl.

"What? No, no I-I don't..." Mike said startled.

"Mike, you can lie to me," Ali put her hand on Will's face. "but your eyes don't lie, I could read your thoughts when you saw them talking."

"No, no, I'm just anxious for him, He never kissed a girl..."

"It's okay Mike, you don't have to say anything." Ali placed a kiss on Mike's cheek and walked over to Zoe, sitting down beside her.

Mike stood up, staring up at the sky as he took his fourth beer, again he turned the rest of the beer into his mouth and when he came back with his head down, he was dizzy and rumbled carefully to the side of Alisson and Zoe, be with them.

 

"No way you did that!" Andrea put a hand on Will's shoulder, laughing.

"Yes," Will smiled as he nodded. "I told you that I was a bullying magnet." Andrea laughed more.

"Stop, I bet you looked cute dresses as ghostbusters!"

"No... you need to review your idea of cuteness!" Will said and Andrea folded her arms and looked at Will with one eyebrow arched.

"Oh me? You tell me then, what's your idea of cuteness?" Andrea asked.

"I don't know," Will looked at Andrea. “I think is pretty cute that your eyes close when you laugh...” Will didn't know where he got this from, but it must have worked because he could see the girl blushing.

"Oh," Andrea looked down. "thanks!" She smiled sheepishly. "But I hate my laugh!"

"You shouldn't," Will faced Andrea. "it's pretty cute!"

Andrea blushed even more. Will placed his hand on the girl's face, who looked at him, he caressed Andrea's rosy cheek and approached, the boy noticed that Andrea closed his eyes and then came and leaned his lips on the girl.

"Oh my god..." Alisson said, nudging Zoe.

Zoe laughed and as soon as Mike turned around and saw Will kiss Andrea, his vision blurred, he felt his stomach wrap and he scrambled up, weird and a little dizzy, he stood up and went to the wall, leaned his hand against the wall and crouched, the boy felt his mouth fill up and vomited on the floor. After a few splashes of vomit, the boy got up, wiped his mouth with his hand and went back to the wheel.

"Hey, I'd better go..." Mike said.

"Are you okay?" Ali asked and Mike nodded. "Do you want me to help you?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you! Tell Will I came back because I was sleepy. "

"Okay..." Alisson said.

Mike scrambled down the iron stairs, opened the door, and swooped down from the two flights of stairs rapidly, opened the elevator shaft, and pressed the button that would lead him to the floor of his room. Mike looked at his face in the mirror and saw how red he was.

"Fuck." he hissed.

When he reached the floor of his room, Mike turned the doorknob but remembered that he was without the keys, which were with Will. Mike sat on the floor and rested his head on his arms, falling asleep.

                                    -

"Mike? Mike?" Will shook Mike who was asleep sitting by the room's door. Mike woke up scared, and kinda dizzy looked at Will. "Are you drunk?" Will was whispering.

"No, I'm great!" Mike said in a soft, drunk voice.

"Fuck..." Will got up, opened the bedroom door, and crouched in front of his friend. "C'mon, let me help you stand up!"

He put his hands under Mike's arms and helped his friend into the bedroom, tossing him into bed. Will pulled out the sneakers that Mike was wearing, his socks, and started pulling on Mike's pants, trying to get them off.

"What you doing!" Mike said confused.

"I'll give you a shower..."

"No, let me sleep!"

"I'm not asking for your approval, now Mike!"

Mike let Will take off his pants and threw them on the floor. Will rolled over onto the bed and started pulling on Mike's T-shirt.

"Put your arms up!" Mike obeyed and Will took his friend's t-shirt. "Ok, now hug me!"

Mike obeyed, and Will grabbed his friend, led him into the bathroom, put his friend in the shower, and turned on the cold water. Mike started shaking after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, but I need to do this!" Will said kneeling in the shower, wetting his pants.

Mike leaned his head against the wall as the water ran down his body. Will went to the bedroom, picked up the phone and after two seconds, a sweet voice answered:

"Reception, good night!"

"H-hi, can I get a cup of coffee and a waffle with no toppings please?" Will said.

"On the room bill?"

"Yes, please!"

"Sure!"

"Thank you!"

"Will!" Mike said almost shouting, making Will hang up the phone and run off to the bathroom.

"What? Are you okay? What happened? "Will asked, worried.

"Take me to bed, please!" Mike said.

Will turned off the shower and helped Mike get up, wetting himself completely.

"I do not think it's a good idea for you to sleep now..." Will said, putting Mike on the bed.

"I'm cold..." Mike, with icy skin folded, trembled.

"Ok... stay here!" Will took one of his towels, lifted Mike and wrapped the towel around his friend's waist.

"Thank you..." Mike sat back down on the bed and Will sat down at his side. "I feel so sick... my stomach hurts so bad..." Mike said as he laid his, still wet - head on Will's lap, which surprised, stared at his friend, lying on his leg with his eyes closed.

"Will, I'm sorry, I'm a mess..." Mike said softly. "I love you..." Mike said, almost unintelligible.

"It's okay Mike, it's okay... I love you too, you're my best friend." Will put his hand on Mike's arm, which was freezing. Will took off his T-shirt and began to dry his friend's trunk, being careful not to disturb his friend, almost asleep.

Mike murmured some unintelligible things as if he were having a nightmare, Will startled to see his friend that way, and not knowing what to do, put his hand in Mike's hair, caressing it.

"It's ok Mike, I'm here... just me, Will." Mike gave a small smile, still sleeping. Will heard two knocks on the door.

"Room service!"

"Come in!" Will said, trying not to make a sound.

A woman entered the room completely dark, only with the light of the bathroom lit, she looked at Will - who put his index finger to his lips, and the woman - who appeared to be about 20 years old - smiled and entered with the cart in the room.

"Could you leave it on the nightstand, please?"

"Sure!" She whispered, like Will. "Is everything ok with him? Do you need help?" The woman asked, trying to help.

"Yea, I think he ate something..."

"First time drinking?" The girl looked up at Will, who nodded. "I'll keep your secret, okay? Do not worry!"

"Thank you!" Will said as the girl put the coffee cup and the waffle-covered with an iron tray on the bedside table.

"If you need anything, call the reception and look for Anna!" The girl said as she approached the door.

"Thank you, Anna!" Anna smiled and closed the bedroom door.

Will looked at Mike, sleeping on his lap, calm, peaceful. Will heard something and got scared, that was the first time he heard Mike snore, and smiled, somehow, he thought it was cute, Mike was always so strong and see him there, relaxed, so vulnerable, sleeping in his lap, a really special moment. The boy thought about waking his friend to eat or drink, but he didn't want to wake him up. Will ran his hand through Mike's hair, which was now in a deep sleep. Will decided to put Mike to lay on the bed. Will didn't know that the friend could be so heavy, after much trying, he managed to get Mike lying down, straightened his friend's head on the pillow, put a blanket over him, and sat for a while, caressing his face.

Will decided to go to bed, lay down in the same outfit but as he was sleepless, picked up a comic book and began leafing through it, reading. After a while, his eyes began to get heavy and sleep was coming, until...

"No," Mike said, struggling in bed. "not him Andrea," Will jumped up and went to Mike's bed. "that should be me!"

"Mike," Will shook his friend. "mike!" Mike woke up scared and grabbed Will's arm. "Are you ok?"

"No Will, I'm not okay ..." Mike said angrily and turned to the other side, turning his back on Will.

"What? What happened?" Will asked confused.

"I don't know, why don't you ask your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend..."

"Yet ..."

"She won't be my girlfriend, ever." Mike turned to Will.

"How do you know?"

"I don't know," Will said. "I remember you talking about how you felt when you were near El or when she kissed you, but with her, I didn't feel anything, no shivers, no butterflies, nothing..."

"That was how I was feeling when El and I broke up, I couldn't feel anything but love for her, but like a friend."

"Yea..." The two of them were silent for a few seconds.

"But what about the kiss?" Mike asked. "It was good?"

"It was not a real kiss..."

"Uh, it was ..."

"No, it wasn't, I wanted to feel everything, palms sweating, cold in the stomach, shivers, everything and I felt nothing, nothing at all."

"One day you will, I promise!" Mike said, placing a hand on Will's back, giving him a little pat.

"Hope so!" Will smiled. "I got you some coffee, take it, it'll make you feel better!"

"I can't, my stomach is-..."

"Please Mike, just a sip!" Mike rolled his eyes, turned to the side, sat down and took the coffee mug, taking a sip.

"Jesus Christ," Mike grimaced. "I just remembered how much I hate coffee."

"Please, you will feel better!"

"Okay, mom..." Mike said, making Will laugh. Will watched Mike take all the coffee in the cup in seconds. "Happy?" Mike asked.

"Yes..." Will got up. "good night Mike!" Mike got up and hugged Will, surprising the little boy.

"Thank you!" Will felt a shiver run down his spine.

"No pro-problem!" Will said, returning the hug.

Mike broke the hug slowly and looked for a few seconds at Will's face, who was looking at him the same way, both of them stared at each other for a few seconds until Mike closed his eyes and slowly went forward, making their lips touch. Will felt chills running all over his body from the back of his neck to his legs. Mike broke the kiss and laid his forehead against Will's.

"I felt it..." Will said quietly, still with his eyes closed. "everywhere."

Mike smiled and gave Will another kiss, making his friend smile during the kiss.

"Good night Wheeler..." Will laid on the bed, blushing.

"Good night baby ..."

For the first time Mike had called Will "baby" without being ironic and for the first time, Will didn't say a word, he smiled from ear to ear still feeling a trace of coldness in his stomach every time he remembered Mike's soft lips touching his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit, that was intense, right? hahahah please, if you read it, give me an honest opinion about it, i need to know how it can get better! comment here or send me an ask on tumblr: http://thewisewillbyers.tumblr.com/ask
> 
> hope you guys are having a great day<3


	5. “go fuck yourself, you selfish piece of shit!”

**Friday, July 19, 08:24am.**

 

Mike opened his eyes slowly, looked at the ceiling of the room and felt extremely dizzy, could taste a horrible taste in his mouth, hangover, of course. He sat up on the bed with his feet touching the floor and carefully closed his eyes because the dizziness was stronger.

"Shit, what have I done?" Mike put one of his hands on his head.

He got up and went to the bathroom, looked at himself in the mirror and saw that he was wrapped in a towel and underneath, only his wet underwear. He brushed his teeth and went back to the bedroom. He flipped out his suitcase, took a white T-shirt, shorts, and dry underwear and changed into clean, dry clothes. The boy walked with difficulty, was afraid of falling, his head ached as never before, his eyes ached, any clarity bothered him. He got up and went up to the balcony door, closed the curtains, preventing any light from entering the room, as he turned to go back to bed, saw Will, sleeping, hugged with a pillow, without a T-shirt, wearing only jeans and sneakers, Mike laughed as he saw and took his friend's shoes.

Mike's stomach was aching but he didn't know if it was pain or hunger, so he decided to go down to the hotel buffet, left the room, picked the elevator and went down to the hotel restaurant, which was still half empty. He picked up a plate and began to put food on it. Scrambled eggs, cheese and of course, bacon. He picked up a glass and filled it with orange juice. He sat down at one of the tables and stared at the sea with his eyes furrowed because the sunlight still bothered him. Will began to eat and felt his stomach wrap. He knew he needed to eat but even with difficulty, he forced himself to eat. The juice helped the food go down more easily. He didn't believe it was so hard to eat a large plate of eggs with bacon.

"Hi," A girl said. Mike, confused, looked back to see if she was talking to him. "are you feeling better?"

"Me?" Mike asked back.

"Yea..." The girl replied.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?" Mike asked.

"Oh, my bad!" The girl held out her hand to Mike. "I'm Anna, you probably don't remember me, but I brought you coffee yesterday!" The girl who was talking to Mike was Anna, the same employee who brought coffee and waffle the night before.

"Oh," Mike said, raising his eyebrows. "yeah, I remember drinking coffee but I don't remember you!" Mike squeezed Anna's hand.

"Yea, when I walked into the room only your boyfriend was awake." Anna said and Mike's eyes widened and he swallowed dry as Anna spoke.

"My what?"

"Your boyfriend, Will!" Anna looked confused. "Isn't he your boyfriend?" Mike was staring at Anna. "Gee, I'm sorry, but I thought it was because you were sleeping on his lap as he was running his hand through your hair." Mike's body became hot and cold at the same time, his heart pounding. Anna, realizing the boy's desperation, said: "Ok... I gotta go, if you need anything, look for me at the reception, okay?" Anna left as soon as she finished.

Mike, still static, looking at his plate without knowing what to do... he really didn't remember anything, had he really slept in Will's lap?

Mike had finished his plate and ran to the room, he needed to know what happened last night. As soon as he entered the room, he went to Will's bed, he stood up there for a few seconds, Will was sleeping so peacefully that Mike didn't feel like waking him up. A few minutes went by and Will slowly opened his eyes, seeing Mike still looking at him.

"Hey, good morning..." Will said.

"G-good morning."

"How long have you been there?" Will asked still sleepy.

"Uh-" Mike said. "only a few seconds."

"Great." Will sat on the bed. Mike was still looking terrified. "Is everything ok?"

"Not really..." Mike sat on Will bed. "what happened yesterday?"

"You drank like a motherfucker." Will said, laughing.

"No, I mean-" Mike looked down. "between us..."

"You don't remember?" Will asked and Mike nodded. "We kissed..." Mike's face went red and his eyes widened.

"But, we-, I-" Mike said. "I'm straight, Will."

"Nevermind Mike," Will stood up and went straight to the bathroom. "it's bullshit anyway."

Mike's heart started pounding, has he really kissed his best-friend?

 

A few minutes went by and Will left the bathroom, his eyes red, he lay on the bed again and started to pretend that he was sleeping but he wasn't, of course. He tried to control the tears from falling down his face but at this point, it was almost impossible. Mike kept looking at Will's back, he was willing to say something but he couldn't, he didn't know what to say or if he had to say something.

-

 

Will had spent the afternoon quietly, lunch was torturing for Mike, he was trying to pick up a subject with his friend laughing at some of the jokes that Ted was making. Mike hadn't felt so sad since Will's disappearance, which is curious because the two times the boy felt this way - as if a part of him was missing, a hole in the chest - has to be with Will being away from him physically or mentally. The four of them went back to their rooms, Will picked up his notebook and case and began to draw, as he always did, but two knocks on the door made them both look at each other.

"Mike?" It was Ted, Mike got up and opened the door. "So, I'm taking your mom to see the sea today! It will be a special night for us... "

"Oh no, I do not want another sibling." Mike said and for the first time that day, he made Will laugh.

"I can't promise you that!" Ted said and winked. "So I need you guys-"

"Ok dad, we know the drill!"

"That's my boy!" Ted laughed and left the room.

"Okay, it looks like we have another free night!" Mike told Will that he smiled without taking his eyes off the paper. "We need to find a way to buy beers..."

"Call Anna, she told me that we could call her if we need anything..."

"But you think she would?"

"She said anything..." Mike smiled as he heard his friend speak, he missed hearing Will's sweet voice.

Mike picked up the phone, which was answered immediately.

"Reception." A male voice said.

"Uh, can I talk to Anna, please?" Mike said and heard some murmurs in the background.

"Anna talking..." Anna said.

"Anna," Will had already dropped the sketch and stared at Mike with all his attention. "this is Mike, could you please come to our room, it's important..."

"Of course Mr. Wheeler, I'll be there with your coffee in a minute!" Mike was impressed to hear Anna come up with an excuse so quickly.

A few minutes passed and she knocked on the bedroom door.

"Room service!" Anna said. Mike went to the door and Anna came in with a mug of coffee in hand. "Okay, what's up?" Anna handed the glass to Mike, who handed it to Will, who started to drink the coffee.

"Can you buy us some beers?" Mike said.

"You gotta be kidding me, right?" Anna said. "You've already given too much work to Will who had to be lying on your lap until you're asleep." An awkward silence fullfed the room. Mike didn't know what to say as Will turned the coffee in his mouth.

"It's not for us..." Will said.

"Yea," Mike said. "we met these girls and-"

"And you want to impress them with drinks... Jesus, you men don't even learn, the same tricks ..." Anna finished and saw Mike blushing. "Ugh," Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay, but if someone catches you, it wasn't me!"

"You are the best Anna!" Mike said, making the girl smile.

"I know," Anna said in a playful tone. "put it in the room bill?"

"No!" Mike said shaking his hands. Mike went to the bedside table and got 20 of the 40 dollars that his father had given him last night and handed it to Anna.

"Ok... I'll be here later!" Anna said.

"Ok, thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Anna said and left the room.

Mike decided to take a nap to make the time goes by quickly, he couldn't stay awake seeing Will like that - knowing that it was he who caused it. Will tried to distract his thoughts and memories from last night, which was almost impossible, for every two minutes he remembered Mike's touch on his skin, some tears rolled down his face, Will wiped them and laid on the bed, trying to sleep, and without success, he decided to look for Ali to talk. He went up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door, Zoe answered.

"Oh hi!" Will said.

"Hi Will! Looking for Andrea?" Zoe said.

"Not really..." Will said. "Where's Ali?"

"Alison!" Zoe shouted, calling for her friend.

"Wha-, what's up nerd?" Ali said when he saw Will at the door.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Will said, Ali nodded.

"Ok, I'm going to show Will to the hotel shop, I'll be right back..." Zoe looked suspiciously.

Ali closed the door and headed for the elevator. The two entered and as soon as the door closed, Ali asked:

"What's up?"

"Mike kissed me last night!" Will said and felt as if he had taken a load off his back, Ali's eyes widened.

"What? Really?" Will nodded. "Is that why you look like this?" Again, Will just shook his head. "Seriously, you never noticed the way he looks at you?" Ali asked.

"What do you mean?" Will asked, confused.

"Why do you think he drank so much?"

"Uh..." Will said, still not understanding.

"He realized that you and Andrea were very close..."

"You mean that-"

"Yes Will, Mike was jealous." Will was surprised.

"But why-"

"What happened last night?"

"He was very drunk, as soon as we arrived I put him under the shower," They went to the pool and sat together in one of the chairs there. "then I took him to lie in bed and he lay on my lap, and you know, I started to... stroke his hair." Will blushed. "But then I got him some coffee and made him drink, he hugged me and when he let me go, he gave me a kiss..."

"First of all," Ali said. "that was the cutest thing I've ever heard." Will smiled, embarrassed. "Second, are you gay?" Ali asked.

The boy heard those words and felt as if he had taken a punch in the stomach, he always avoided thinking about it and after hearing his father refer to him as "faggot" didn't help him to understand what he felt. He always knew that he was different and that what he felt was wrong.

"I-I-" Will stammered. "Don't know..." His eyes filled with tears and Ali realized, she placed her hand over Will's.

"Will..." Will looked down. "Hey, look at me!" Ali said and Will obeyed. "It's okay, there's no problem that you feel like this, I know you must be confused but no matter what you feel, nothing's going to change, you're still going to be to be this little nerd from Indiana..." Will gave a little shy laugh, and hugged him.

"Thank you Ali, for real..."

"No problem and please, don't be sad, he must be as confused as you are." Will nodded.

The two continued talking for a good 20 minutes, so they decided to go upstairs to get ready and go to the beach and so both of them went to their rooms.

-

Will was still not very comfortable near Mike so the two weren't talking much, the embarrassing silence dominated the room but they looked at each other when they heard some knocking on the door. Will ran and saw Anna, with a food cart entering the room. She grabbed two 6-pack of beer and left them on the floor of the room, reached into her uniform pocket and took out money and handed it to Will.

"Keep the change!" Mike said, lying on the bed.

"My boy..." Anna laughed and pointed at Mike. "If you guys need anything, please do not screw up, call me!" Will smiled.

Anna left the room and Mike got up, crouched down to get the beer, his hand touching Will's, unintentionally. They looked at each other for a few seconds without saying anything until Will got up and put the beers under the bed and headed straight for the bathroom.

He took off his clothes, turned on the shower and began to shower, after a few minutes he turned off the water and returned to the room without a T-shirt, only with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to flirt with me." Mike said, tearing a laugh from Will. "See? You're smiling again... "

"That doesn't mean I'm not mad at you..." Will said as he picked out a suit.

"So you admit that you're mad..." Mike said and Will was silent still taking his clothes. "can you at least tell me why?"

"Mike..." Will stood with his clothes in his hands. "Can we please stop talking about this? I'm not mad, it's bullshit, don't worry." Will said and went back to the bathroom, slamming the door.

As soon as Will left the bathroom, Mike came in and it was his turn to bathe, meanwhile Will was lying on the bed thinking if he had been too hard on his friend.

After a few minutes, Mike came out of the bathroom, dressed, ready to leave. Mike tidied his hair in the mirror.

"Let's go?" Mike said to Will, who nodded and got out of bed, put the beers in two bags, and headed down the hall.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Mike knocked on the door and Zoe answered.

"Oh, hey Mike, hi again Will." Mike frowned his eyebrows.

"We brought beer!" Mike said and Will set the bags down.

"Thank god!" Ali said. "But we'll have to drink here, we can't drink in the beach..."

"Ok!" Will said, sat down and picked up one of the beers from the bags, opened it and began to drink. Ali she was the next, got a beer and handed it to Mike, who shook his head.

"You're not going to drink?" Ali asked.

"Better not," Mike said. "I already did last night, and you know..." He looked at Will.

"It's okay, you can drink if you want to!" Will hissed.

"I'm good..." Mike said.

"What happened last night?" Zoe asked. Will and Ali looked at each other and Mike looked awkward.

"Uh-"

"Mike drank more than he should and slept in front of our bedroom door." Will interrupted his friend.

"Oh my god, you did not..." Zoe and Andrea laughed and Mike looked at Will and smiled.

 

A few minutes passed and they decided to order a pizza and stay in the room, drinking and chatting. As soon as the pizza arrived, Zoe and Andrea left the room to pick up the pizza in the hotel hall while Will, Mike, and Alisson stayed in the room in silence.

"So..." Ali said hoping someone would say something but did not succeed.

Andrea and Zoe came back and put the pizza on the bed and they all sat around pizza that looked delicious. Obviously, the pizza was over in less than 20 minutes.

"Let's play never have I ever?"

"Ali... really?" Andrea said.

"Yea... it's easy, if you have done something, you drink your beer. I start." Ali said excitedly, the only one. "Never have I ever kissed more than one person in a day." Only Zoe took a sip of her beer. "There are people lying..." Will thought and his eyes widened as he remembered the night before, took a sip of his drink, Mike blushed. "Ok Andrea, it's your turn..."

"Oh, okay..." Andrea said. "Never have I ever peed my pants." They all took a sip.

"My turn..." Zoe said. "I never slept in the hallway of a hotel because I was drunk." Everyone laughed and Mike took a sip of the drink.

"Wow, that was low..." Mike said with a laugh.

"It's your turn, Mike!" Alisson said.

"Uh-huh, I don't know what to say..." Mike said.

"I'll say for you!" Ali said. "Never have I ever had a crush on someone who's in the room." Andrea, Mike and Will took a sip of the drink. "This is getting interesting." The three of them were red with embarrassment.

"Never have I ever been afraid of losing someone..." Will said and Mike took a big sip of his drink.

"I still have..." Mike said quietly.

"What?" Ali asked.

"Nevermind, it's your turn again!"

"Okay..." Ali said. "I have never felt the anger to kiss someone right now."

Andrea picked up her glass and took a sip, Will too. Ali looked at Mike and he drank some of his drink. Mike did not take his eyes off Will, red, with the can still in his mouth.

"Oh... why do not you do then?" Zoe laughed.

Andrea put both hands on Will's face, held it, and kissed the boy who had no reaction. Mike felt his heart pounding with a little anger and looked at Ali, who was still staring at him, Mike approached the girl and leaned forward and began to approach the girl's face.

"I-I can't..." Mike said, getting up. "I'm sorry, it was a bad idea." Will and Andrea were interrupted and everyone looked at Mike, who opened the door and left the room.

He got into the elevator and pressed the button to get to the floor of his room but as soon as the door began to close he heard a voice:

"Hold on!" Will put his hand on the elevator door, preventing it from closing.

35 seconds were never so long, Mike and Will did not exchange a word, nor look, the two stood apart in the small elevator. As they reached the floor, Will handed the key to the door and entered the room.

"Will, I'm sorry, I didn't want to ruin your night!" Will walked around the room but when he heard Mike, he stopped and turned back, facing Mike.

"You know what?" Will said approaching Mike. “Go fuck yourself, you selfish piece of shit!” Will said as he pointed his finger at the boy who stood with wide eyes.

"Selfish?" Mike said. "I didn't ask you to follow me, don't blame me!"

"Didn't ask? I'm your fucking best friend, do you think I'd leave you at some point?" Will yelled. "You saw me kissing Andrea, got pissed and wanted to leave, what's your problem?"

"Will calm down, is not it..."

"Is not it? Fuck you again!" Will said, folding his arms. "You fucking kissed me last night, remember? Now you want to pretend that nothing happened, I was just trying to get you out of my head!" Mike's eyes filled with water. "If you do not want me, why can’t you just let me go?" Will screamed, Mike gripped Will's two arms tightly.

"Because I fucking love you, is that what you wanted to hear?" Mike shouted, Will remained in silent looking at his friend, who still held him. "I love you since the first time I saw your smile while we were playing on the playground. Didn't you ever notice? It was always you that I wanted! But I'm confused, how do you think I feel when I felt butterflies in my stomach everytime I see you? Or when Eleven came into my life?" Mike said, letting go of Will's arms - he was still staring at his friend without saying a word. "I'm a fucking mess, Will! You deserve so much better." Mike said and headed for the bathroom, wiping some tears that had rolled down his face in the last minutes.

 

Will sat on the bed, not knowing how to react, his best friend had just said he had always loved him. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel a thud in his throat. Hands sweating and Mike's voice echoing in his head. The boy lay on the bed and turned out the lights, he wasn't sleepy nor wanted to sleep but he didn't know what to say when Mike left the bathroom.

 

After a few minutes, Mike opened the bathroom door and found the room totally dark, tried to see Will but couldn't, due to the darkness. Mike didn't say anything either, sat on the bed, picked up his comic book, switched on the bedside lamp and started flipping through the pages but after a while, he realized he could not pay attention to what he was reading. He looked at the other bed and saw Will, hunched over.

"I can hear your breath..." Mike said.

"Oh, sorry!" Will replied.

"That's not what I meant, I just don't understand why you're pretending to be asleep."

"I'm not, I just-" Will started. "I'm just confused." Mike got up from his bed and sat on Will's bed, his back turned to his friend's back.

"I've been dealing with this since I saw your smile for the first time." Mike said and Will smiled, still turning his back on his friend. "Look at me!" Will turned, facing Mike. "Sorry for ruining your evening, I know Andrea must be very important to you..."

"Shut up..." Will said. "she means nothing, she never meant anything to me." Mike looked at Will, who was leaning his head in his own hand. "And to be honest, I just kissed her today because I was mad at you." Mike looked at Will.

"Trying to make me feel jealous, Byers?" Mike asked.

"Not really but I know it worked!" Will said and Mike laughed.

"Yeah, it worked..." The two of them looked at each other as they laughed, staring at each other for a few seconds. "Well... good night. I guess." Mike stood up.

"Wait!" Said Mike, stopped and looked at the boy. "Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you've been dying to ask?" Mike was there for a couple of seconds without saying a single word.

"Do you..." Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you feel the way I do?"

He gave a little shy laugh, stood up in front of Mike grabbed his face with his hands and gave him a little peck on the lips.

"Does that answer your question, Wheeler?"

"Not sure..." Mike - with his eyes still closed - said, smiling.

"Oh..." He said and gave three more little pecks on Mike's lips.

"Yeah, I got it now!" They faced each other smiling for a few seconds.

"Good night Wheeler!" Will leaned forward and placed his lips on Mike's cheek and went to the bed.

"Good night Byers ..." Mike put his hand on his cheek and could feel the warmth of it, I knew he was really red. Soon I laid down and turned the night light off, still smiling.


End file.
